2026 Neural Mechanisms of Acoustic Communication Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

About This Grant

Project Summary In its third installment, the Neural Mechanisms of Acoustic Communication (NMAC) Gordon Research Conference (GRC), along with the associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), will convene on May 30-June 5, 2026 at the Jordan River hotel in Sunday River, Maine to discuss and debate new findings in communication research and related fields. The NMAC GRC will enable investigators of all ranks with wide-ranging expertise and from a variety of sub-fields to interact, leveraging the intimate size and extended discussion time of the traditional GRC format to enable fertile scientific discourse. This meeting fulfills a unique niche within the landscape of existing conferences through its focus on comparative and mechanistic approaches to the study of neural circuits that mediate interactive vocal behavior across taxa that represent 800 million years of evolution. The interactive ability to exchange information is a central and defining feature of all communication systems and helps organize social behavior. As such, a comparative approach to the study of the neural mechanisms underlying acoustic communication lends insight into general mechanisms of neural function, leads to the development of novel analytical and experimental techniques and paves the way to novel treatments of dysfunction in human communication systems. The 2026 NMAC has three specific aims: 1) To advance acoustic communication research by offering an environment that encourages questions and discussion, challenges current thinking, identifies open questions, and provides opportunities for new collaborations; 2) to create a unique forum for interaction for researchers with different perspectives on acoustic communication and break down boundaries that exist between communities focused on different model systems, brain regions, and research approaches; and 3) to educate new and early career investigators. To provide greater opportunities for impactful junior scientists, we are including “next generation talks” where the chairs will pick 4 graduate students or postdocs from the GRS to present at the GRC meeting. In addition, at least 2 talks per session will be selected from submitted abstracts with the aim to feature early career researchers, including graduate students, postdocs, and assistant professors. Mentorship opportunities will include themed lunches where 1-3 scientists informally discuss topics of interest with graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, such as securing a postdoctoral or faculty job, starting a laboratory, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Taken together, NMAC aims to create conversations that will achieve a mechanistic and unifying understanding of the neural underpinnings of acoustic communication by uncovering broadly relevant algorithms and general principles. These exchanges will advance acoustic communication research by encouraging new ideas and collaborations, highlighting excellence in the field, and inspiring the next generation of scientists to accelerate the pace of discovery and translation to the clinic, consistent with the mission of NIH.